TJ's craft beer expo: May 17-18

If you care about the future of craft beer, here's a tip: Watch the border.

"We are not quite there yet," said Walter Soto, secretary of the Asociación Cervecería Artesanales de Baja California (ACABC). "But we are making great strides because we are neighbors of San Diego and San Diego is a craft beer mecca, I dare say."

But Mexico's craft beer mecca, I dare say, is Baja California. The peninsula boasts more craft breweries in Baja (17) than any other Mexican region, and ACABC is the nation's largest beer group. That's why ACABC's beer festival in Tijuana, May 18 and 19, promises to be especially interesting. Many of the members will be showcased, including Tijuana's Rámuri, which in February won the top prize at Mexico's first national craft beer competition.

Each day, the festival will run from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Admission is 90 pesos, or about $7.35.

These new Mexican brews may taste familiar to San Diegans, but not because they are reminiscent of Corona, Tecate or Pacífico.

"The influence of San Diego is very high," said Ruben Valenzuela, founder of the Asociación and proprietor of Tijuana's Baja Craft Beer Tasting Room.

"Right now, we are very influenced by San Diego,", Soto agreed. "But slowly but surely, we are getting an image that we will want to project."

That image may not be as hop-centric as San Diego's, but neither will it echo snoozy Mexican brews of old.

Soto: "We are not trying to make Vienna lagers."

Besides offering a glimpse at the future of Mexican beer, the May 18 session will include food pairings from some of Baja's top chefs, including Javier Plascencia. Live music will be provided by U2 tribute band, Joshua Tree, plus Metalachi, the world's first heavy metal mariachi group.